


you don't have to convince me

by Crystalinastar



Series: Only Us (Birdflash) [3]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Birdflash - Freeform, Bisexual Dick Grayson, Bisexual Wally West, F/F, First Kiss, Flashpoint (DCU), Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, Kinda, M/M, Role Reversal, Thief!Dick, barry messed things up YEET, can you believe it took me like an hour to decide that dick was bi too, ish, maybe? - Freeform, six of them actually, that's actually a tag why is this so funny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 01:58:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16985973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crystalinastar/pseuds/Crystalinastar
Summary: Sometimes love just transcends all time and dimensions, and sometimes it doesn't.Five times Wally kissed Dick first, and one time Dick kissed first.(Or, five Birdflash angst things and one bad fluffy one)





	you don't have to convince me

**1.**

“Nightwing.”

“Kid Flash,” Dick answered with a smile curving his lips. He knew the speedster would catch up to him; they always did. The fun part was outsmarting them. “What, no Uncle B to keep you company?”

He could feel the hero’s wince before he turned around. “Don’t say things like that,” Wally West told him. “Someone could hear.”

He pivoted on his heels. “There’s no one here, Wally. So what are you gonna do now?” His voice took on a mocking tone. He _felt_ tall, even if five years ago, he was a midget compared to Wally. “Put me in jail?”

Wally’s eyes were very much focused on the ground. “Dick, c’mon. You _know_ I have to do this. You can stop.”

Dick huffed. “Stop? _This_?” He gestured around them, the last thing his hand pointed to being Wally’s chest. “You have to do your thing. I have to do mine.”

And he did. After his parents died, he was lost. He escaped from the Central City Orphanage quickly, but he was wandering the streets. And that was when he first stole something. Little things. Food, clothing, maybe a book to spend his time. But it was when he started doing the harder heists - museums, banks, the works - that he really felt alive.

Heroes were just a bonus. It was thrilling, like performing for an audience that was constantly trying to not be impressed. Luckily for him, the Flying Graysons had wowed the harshest of critics.

“Your thing’s not- Dick, it’s against the law,” Wally protested, almost meeting his eyes.

He raised a playful eyebrow. “I know. That’s what’s fun about it.” Wally was unconvinced. “You know, vigilantism is a crime too.”

“That’s not- I mean- it’s kinda-” Wally stopped and sighed. Dick laughed internally at his state. Getting Wally flustered was all too easy. “It’s different, and you know it. What would… what would your parents think?”

Dick inhaled sharply. In all their years of friendship, not once had Wally brought up his parents like this. He _knew_ it was a sensitive topic.

“Doesn’t matter,” Dick replied lightly. “They’re dead.”

“Dick,” Wally said, his voice so full of hurt and sympathy and other emotions he couldn’t name. Dick flinched at the voice, the voice that said he was weak, something to be pitied and treated like glass.

“Walls,” Dick responded in kind. He aimed for pleading, stretching out, begging Wally to understand.

He didn’t need Wally to know why, or to think he knew why. He wanted Wally to draw the conversation away from this. But if there was one thing he was good at, it was putting on a show.

Wally’s face softened. “Okay,” he said.

Dick could scoff. Heroes were so naive and idealistic. They fell for the tragic backstories almost as quickly as they rescued people falling off buildings.

But he could play their little game for a while longer.

Wally was now tapping his foot on the ground nervously. He looked Dick dead in the eyes and asked, “Can I kiss you?”

Dick barely felt himself give something approximating a nod. Wally rushed forward with his inhuman speed and connected their lips.

It wasn’t what Dick had expected. In all his past kisses, with Barbara Gordon, with Zatanna Zatara, with even Superboy once, it had been heated and filled with passion. Wally, ironically, seemed to be taking the slow route, though not without fire. The kiss had their mutual tension with each other, sweet undertones, and a long, burning ache after being best friends for so long.

Dick Grayson met Wally West when he was eleven, when they were in middle school biology together. Soon after that, Wally became Kid Flash, and the rest was history. At least, until Wally found out Dick was Nightwing, notorious thief, a few days ago.

Reflecting upon their friendship, Dick pushed his mouth further into Wally’s. _I wonder who’s gonna run out of breath first,_ he thought to himself. Anything and everything could be a competition between them.

To his surprise, he found himself _enjoying_ the kiss. Wally was too, nibbling on Dick’s lip in a way that made his heart soar.

When they let go of each other, finishing off their oxygen supplies simultaneously, Wally grinned at him earnestly.

 _He’s too trusting,_ Dick mused. He liked that about Wally. He liked _everything_ about Wally. With a start, Dick realized he wouldn’t mind dating Wally.

He could make this work. He could.

(He couldn’t.)

**2.**

They were fighting the Riddler. Out of all the ways his villains could’ve interrupted their _stealth mission,_ it had to be the Riddler. And the Riddler had lots of henchmen.

Dick ran a hand over his face and groaned. “I thought we had an agreement, Eddie,” he murmured to himself. He held a batarang, ready to strike as soon as he assessed the situation properly.

And Wally was standing stock still. He didn’t even notice the bullet heading for him. _Heading directly for his heart,_ Dick realized.

No. He couldn’t let someone he cared for die again.

His feet were springing off the ground in a rush. The bullet hit the Kevlar of his suit with a thud.

“Dude!” Wally exclaimed, horrified. Dick held a hand over the spot where the bullet hit. This was gonna leave a hell of a bruise. And unfortunately, his batarang laid on the ground, dropped in the heat of the moment.

“Focus!” Dick snapped. “Never let your attention stray from the enemy, not in battle.”

He could feel Wally’s stare on his back as he launched himself at a thug, knocking them out with one well-placed kick. A moment later, he saw a yellow blur take down multiple thugs, and Riddler himself. For all the man’s ingenuity, he wasn’t very physically capable in a fight. Especially against superpowers. He grinned.

Dick dodged a punch with grace, swooping down to take the thug out from under. The thug went out like a light. In the rare second of not being attacked, he called out, “Nice take down, KF!”

Of course, without their leader and against six trained heroes, henchmen were scattered across the floor like paper whenever a speedster ran into a room.

Dick finished up the last one and leaned against the wall, panting. Wally zoomed up next to him. Dick put his hand up, offering a high five. Wally took it. “We did good,” he said.

“Was there ever any doubt?” Wally replied, smirking. Then all traces of it disappeared, replaced with a frown. “Dude, you took a bullet for me like ten minutes ago. Not cool.”

“Well,” Dick retorted, “someone had to. You were being an idiot and not watching your back.”

“Rob, I can _heal._ You can’t.”

 _So this is where he’s going._ “My suit’s bulletproof. Besides, healing factor or not, being shot hurts.” Dick touched the area where he was shot gingerly, suppressing his wince. “See? I’m fine.”

Wally was frowning even more now. _C’mon. I proved that I was fine. What more does he want?_ “No one else was gonna take that bullet for me.”

Dick rolled his eyes under his mask. “One, I’m your best friend. I think taking a bullet for you falls into that category. Two, I have good reflexes.”

“You… took a bullet for me,” Wally said softly. “A bullet. And not even for a million bucks.”

He nudged Wally’s shoulder with his shoulder playfully. “Yeah, but I’ll take the million.”

Wally laughed. And stopped, which was concerning. “Hey, um, I think I really, really like you,” he admitted, his voice low.

_Well. That was unexpected._

“Then kiss me and prove it,” Dick dared him, his stomach fluttering with nerves. Wally liked him, and Dick… Dick was pretty sure he liked Wally too.

Their mouths met. Wally bounced on his toes and Dick resisted the urge to chuckle. _Speedsters._ The kiss deepened into something more, and Dick made a moan of content.

They released their grip on each other a few seconds later. Wally was grinning like an idiot, and Dick knew he was mirroring the expression.

“Jesus, get a room,” Artemis remarked, and the spell was broken.

“You just wish you were getting some,” Dick shot back. Wally made a hum of agreement beside him.

The archer rolled her eyes, and made an equally snarky comment in return.

But for now, all was good.

(All wouldn’t be good, when Wally decided to hang up the cowl and Dick refused.)

**3.**

Dick bit his lip, looking at the newspaper Bruce left on the table. ‘Batman and Robin seen at the scene of murder victims: responsible?’

“Damnit Luthor,” Bruce muttered venomously. Dick just barely caught Alfred throwing Bruce an appraising look. Probably for the swear.

He _did_ agree with Bruce. When Lex Luthor became president, all the world’s superheroes became supervillains in the eyes of the press. Last night, they stopped Joker, and the media still managed to twist the story. It was frustrating.

He shoved spoonfuls of Lucky Charms into his mouth forcefully. “Hey Bruce?” Dick asked, keeping his tone purposefully light. If his tone was light, they could ignore the literal bad news. “Can I go to Mount Justice today?”

Bruce pursed his lips. Dick knew they were toying with each other, playing. He’d already arranged to go to Mount Justice, and he knew Batman had a mission for them tomorrow. “Okay,” Bruce said, finally.

Dick grinned as he ran for the Batcave and used the zeta tubes there. Upon arriving to the Mountain, he ran headfirst into Wally West’s chest.

“Dude!” Wally exclaimed. “There you are. Have you seen the news?”

He winced. “Not yet. I’ve only seen Gotham’s so far. How bad is it?”

Wally let out a loud groan. “They thought Uncle Barry and I were working _with_ the Rogues! If only Aunt I wrote the Flash ones - then we would have some better press.”

Dick slid out of Wally’s chest as he spoke, allowing a smirk to form on his face. “At least your guys’ are pretty tame. My city called us the Joker today.” His voice was measured, teasing even, despite the rough topic. Years of training with the Batman would do that to you.

Wally frowned. “You good? I know Luthor’s been president for a while now, but I don’t think the news has ever gotten _that_ bad.”

Dick offered Wally a small smile, a glimpse into what he really felt. Then he covered it up again, his grin stretching wide and coming as naturally as breathing. “Yeah, Walls. I have tough skin. ‘Cause it’s Gotham, y’know?”

“Yeah,” Wally said softly. “I know.”

Without a second thought, their hands snaked together. Dick stifled a laugh when Wally held them up, his green eyes dancing with delight. They pleaded with him, asking for permission.

Dick nodded.

Wally’s lips pressed into his. It was a soft, chaste kiss, meant to just be reassuring, and good god, Dick was reassured. When Wally pulled away not a second later, Dick felt the ghost of Wally still there, and he wanted more.

(They barely got any more, when Lex Luthor figured out his and Bruce’s identities the next day, and had them shipped off for Arkham Asylum.)

**4.**

Dick hopped off his mentor’s shoulders, his mask betraying nothing as he looked over the new arrivals.

Once upon a time, he was enamored with Superman, but Batman came close. Batman, being just barely human, with his gadgets and detective skills - it was safe to say Dick used to idolize Batman more than he did Superman.

Of course, that was once upon a time. That was before Barry was kicked from the Justice League because he created Flashpoint. Dick didn’t get what the whole deal was. Sure, Barry messed up, but everyone made mistakes. Even superheroes. And the important part was that Barry felt guilty for them.

He didn’t remember ever being this analytical, but he noticed Barry’s eyes widen just a fraction at the sight of Batman’s new partner, Freetail. And come to think of it, Freetail did look a tad familiar. He could see a strand of bright red hair sneak out of the hood that so carefully covered Freetail’s head.

Barry knew only one young, male redhead. (At least, as far as Dick knew.) And that one young, male redhead had recently moved to Gotham.

“Wally?” he blurted.

Batman narrowed his eyes at Dick. Dick lifted his chin and glared right back.

Barry stepped in between them, cutting the tension as easily as one would’ve cut through paper. “Listen, Bats. I thought we had a deal. You stay in the League’s cities, but I have mine.”

Batman’s voice was a deep grumble, coming to exact vengeance or whatever. Dick sighed and walked off to the side. He sat down, letting his feet dangle.

“Dick?” Wally’s voice asked quietly.

The domino mask really didn’t hide much, which is why Dick let a small sliver of a smile loose. “You didn’t tell me you were Batman’s-”

“You didn’t tell _me_ you were Robin!” Wally, his hood pulled back (and a cowl underneath, but that was Bat paranoia for you), looked scandalized.

Dick gave Wally an appraising look. “Oh yeah, sure. I’ll tell you and eliminate the point of having a secret identity.” Wally opened his mouth, but Dick cut him off. “You don’t get to say anything, _Freetail_. Why Freetail anyways?”

“It’s the fastest animal on Earth,” Wally explained excitedly, using wild hand gestures. _Bingo._ “Brazilian free-tailed bats.”

“And you have the…” Dick trailed off as Wally’s hands became a literal blur. “The speed.”

Wally shrugged. “I mean, I guess. I like to refer to it as an increased metabolism, which allows for-”

“And I’ll stop you right there with that science mumbo-jumbo,” Dick teased. A twinge of _something_ flashed through him. He shook his head, trying to clear it.

“Says the mathlete,” Wally shot back.

“We’re leaving, Freetail,” Batman demanded, stalking towards them.

Dick glanced back to Barry. There was something undeniably helpless about his expression. “Which means Flash and I gotta hightail it outta here.”

“Sounds about right,” Barry agreed.

Batman shot a grappling hook to another building. Dick watched scornfully. _Damn Bats and their gadgets._

Wally zipped over, and gave Dick a peck on the cheek before following Batman.

Dick froze, his hand tracing his cheek. “Ah- ah,” he stammered, not able to get anything out.

Barry smirked beside him. “Looks like someone’s got a crush.” He grinned wistfully. “Those were the days.”

“Shut up!” Dick hissed, still staring off into the distance. Well, not the distance, but the still generally faraway place where he saw Wally’s dark form running up.

He couldn’t put away the feeling of something being _wrong,_ but Wally made him feel alright.

(Barry eventually went back in time to fix things, again. Dick was with Barbara in the new timeline, and Wally was with Artemis.)

**5.**

Wally was under the Light’s control. _Wally was under the Light’s control._

Dick didn’t know when they managed to slap one of their little biotech thingies onto Wally, but this still wasn’t good. Fighting the League was going to be bad enough, but fighting one of their teammates? Even worse.

Everyone, Roy included, came up with a plan. A plan that should work. Free the Justice League and Wally from supervillain mind control and then defeat said supervillains. Dick laughed, tiredly. _Happy New Year to me._

And they were cruising along. He and Conner managed to cure Bruce and Clark, with clever usage of kryptonite and teamwork. Then, while Conner was still weak from the kryptonite, Wally attacked.

Dick swallowed, a lump forming in his throat. Wally was fidgeting and spasming, apparently not under full control. Against his better judgment, he called out to the speedster. “Fight it, Wally. I know you can.” He’d love to say the stupid decision was because of the injuries he sustained from fighting with Bruce, but…

Yeah, it was probably his crush.

Wally vibrated in place. Dick tensed. Speedsters were difficult, as they moved too fast to block what they were going to do. Seeing as Wally was mind controlled, his moves wouldn’t be as predictable as they should be, so there was only one option left.

Hit him with something big.

He started talking again. “Walls, c’mon. I’m beat. You don’t need to rub it in my face. Just snap out of it. Just- mmph.”

Wally had zoomed up to Dick and firmly placed a kiss directly on Dick’s mouth. _What. The fuck? Is this really happening?_

Soon enough, Wally’s tongue slithered in and Dick moaned. Loudly. Jesus, Wally was skilled. How many girls had he kissed before? Or, evidently, how many guys?

Dick gasped for air when they released. He could hold his breath as long as an Olympic swimmer, but Wally (!) kissing him took his breath away. When air was acquired again, he had one burning question. “How’d you fight it? Not even Batman could.”

Wally looked him in the eye shyly. “Well, I guess I just heard your voice, and-” Wally cut himself off, socking Dick in the jaw.

 _Oh, shit._ Wally ran quickly, fastening meta-proof handcuffs around Dick’s wrists. Wally’s mouth laughed, but it wasn’t Wally’s laugh. Dick didn’t know how he didn’t see it before. His movements, his voice, his eyes - they weren’t Wally.

_Stupid crush._

“Heroes are so gullible,” said Wally’s voice with a mad glint in his eyes. “And lookie here. The Boy Wonder likes the Kid. Pity.”

 _Keep talking,_ Dick urged silently, aiming a glare at Wally’s body as he picked the lock on his handcuffs.

“He’s never going to like you like that,” Wally spat, Dick legititmately flinching. “He’s head over heels for your archer. How does that feel, Birdie?”

 _Ah ha._ Dick nodded towards Conner, who seemed like he regained part of his strength. “Makes me feel-” he flipped out of the way, landing a solid roundhouse kick on Wally’s skull, “-fine, _Savage_ _._ ”

Wally groaned as he woke up, hours later. “Wha…?”

Dick grinned a little. “You were whammied, dude," was all he said.

(And he never talked about the kiss, or the crush. Wally did end up with Artemis. It was only years later, when Wally faded in the unforgiving cold of the Arctic, that Dick really regretted it.)

**+1**

Wally whooped loudly, his cheeks flushed as the bottle landed on one Dick Grayson. (Okay, maybe he was just a little bit drunk.) “Way to make Zee jealous!”

Artemis raised an eyebrow at Wally. “You know, anyone would be lucky to get to kiss _the_ Dick Grayson. ‘Tanna won’t mind. Actually, _she’s_ kissed Dick before.”

The words “You dog!” spilled out of his mouth. He pointed a wavering finger at Dick’s chest.

Dick smirked. “I’m not denying it.”

Artemis rolled her eyes. “Shut up, idiot.” She grabbed Dick’s chin and kissed him right on the lips. Wally wouldn’t be able to say he wasn’t the least bit curious to what it was like. After all, they both looked to be very good kissers.

This Spin the Bottle game was going terribly anyways. Megan and Conner were making out the entire time, and Kaldur just read calmly, the bottle never pointing to him and or to anyone else when it was his turn. Really, he, Dick, and Artemis were the only ones playing.

Dick and Artemis released the kiss. Artemis caught his eye, a hint of something mischievous in there.

“I know I’m hot, but you don’t have to be obvious about your lust,” Dick drawled, staring at him dead on. Wally blushed. “Wanna kiss?”

He contemplated shaking his head. Then he regretted that thought and almost ferociously nodded his head.

Dick vaulted himself over to Wally’s spot, leaning in. His breath was heavy and scented with beer, but Wally didn’t care. His heart was pounding crazy fast.

And they kissed. They kissed and they kissed and they kissed. It took a lifetime and a half and Wally loved every second of it.

Artemis winked at him when she slid out the door, probably to meet up with Zatanna. Wally grinned at her, showing teeth. He guessed he had a boyfriend now. And that boyfriend had some _serious_ game.

(Dick and Wally got married soon after they graduated college, and lived happily ever after, because they deserve a happy ending.)

**Author's Note:**

> Ookay that was a bleeping RIDE of a fic


End file.
